Previews

EyeToy: Kinetic

Sony and Nike team up to let you watch yourself work out without a mirror.

Spiffy:

Cool technology, authentic Nike licensing and a diverse range of activities to keep the routine exciting.

Iffy:

Three minutes of dodging a virtual spiked ball doesn’t scratch the surface of how the game will ultimately end up.

Since its inception two years ago, the EyeToy has been used for a variety of different types of games, from party titles, to DDR to the innovative Antigrav. One element that has not been tapped into has been the physical aspects of EyeToy's capabilities. All that moving around in front of the television can work up a sweat if done frequently enough, and that's exactly what Sony's got in mind for their newest title.

EyeToy: Kinetic follows in the vein of successful titles such as Yourself! Fitness that encourage gamers to get off the couch and utilize other parts of their gaming room space. Unlike that game, which was interactive to a degree, Kinetic takes advantage of EyeToy's motion capture abilities and uses them to develop a fitness routine.

In partnership with Nike Motionworks, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe is aiming to make a fitness title that's more interactive than any other on the market while keeping the physical activity fun. The game will come with a wide angle lens, which SCEE calls a Full Vision Lens, that enables the EyeToy to capture a player's entire body on the TV. Kinetic has a wide variety of features to keep players on their toes. The main modes are Routine Builder and Personal Training.

The minigame that I personally sampled was part of the Routine Builder section. Dubbed Wildfire, it's reminiscent of the spiky red orb that plagued a blindfolded Luke Skywalker in the first Star Wars. A ball floats around the screen and releases spikes in patterns. Players must punch and kick the ball when the spikes aren't out. The motion capture technologies of Kinetic can detect force, speed, and movement, so the harder you punch at the air, the harder the orb will bounce around the screen. There is a health meter that goes down when the spikes hit the player, but it can be replenished by punching and kicking the ball. I went back and forth with the ball for three minutes while people laughed at me. It wasn't enough, per se, to make any judgment calls about its effectiveness. One thing was for certain, though: it was a lot of fun, even if it looked completely embarrassing.

Personal Training looks to be exceptionally comprehensive. SCEE spared no expense in the creation process and deferred certain elements to Nike's meticulous attention to capturing the most realistic physical movements possible. Set up for a twelve week program, Personal Training breaks down into four main zones: cardio, combat, mind & body, and toning. Among those four zones, Kinetic will keep gamers on their toes with twenty-two different exercises. In contrast to traditional workout videos, Kinetic is programmed to give real-time feedback on a player's workout performance.